[Congressional Record Volume 168, Number 7 (Tuesday, January 11, 2022)]
[Senate]
[Pages S157-S158]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO MARK BENNETT

   Mr. BOOZMAN. Madam President, I rise today to commend Mark 
Bennett, who is retiring as chief of the water development division of 
the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission after a 34-year career 
creating and preserving access to water in our State.
  Through his work, Mark has helped provide clean, safe, and reliable 
water to countless Arkansans and has been instrumental in the 
conservation of our State's land and water resources. Thanks to Mark's 
dedication and commitment to the people of Arkansas, he has ensured 
that future generations will be able to enjoy the beautiful land and 
wildlife the Natural State is known for.
  Mark is a true Arkansas success story. Raised near Lake Village and a 
graduate of Lakeside High School, Mark earned a bachelor's degree in 
both agricultural economics and banking and finance from Mississippi 
State University. He continued his education at the University of 
Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law

[[Page S158]]

and the University of Arkansas School of Law, where he earned a master 
of laws degree in agricultural law.
  Mark served the people of Arkansas as general counsel for the 
Arkansas Natural Resources Commission for nearly 20 years. He continued 
his public service as the chief of water development with the natural 
resources division of the department of agriculture. In this role, Mark 
oversaw a variety of crucial infrastructure programs including the 
Arkansas Clean Water Revolving Loan Program, the Arkansas Drinking 
Water Revolving Loan Program, the Arkansas Water Development Fund, and 
the Arkansas Water, Sewer and Solid Waste Fund to assist Arkansans with 
water, wastewater, and solid waste projects. Mark has also served as 
the state cochair and member of the EPA--State SRF working group and is 
a former board member and past president of the Council of 
Infrastructure Financing Authorities board of directors.
  I am grateful for Mark's experience and expertise. His guidance was 
instrumental in crafting Federal legislation to modernize investment in 
water infrastructure. The Securing Required Funding for Water 
Infrastructure Now, or SRF WIN, Act was signed into law in 2018 and is 
improving access to clean water in Arkansas and across the country. 
Mark's knowledge in this field was invaluable as my staff and I 
developed this legislation.
  Generations of Arkansans will continue to benefit from Mark's 
extraordinary efforts to provide quality water infrastructure and 
further conservation efforts in our State. His dedication to improving 
the lives of his fellow Arkansans is an inspiration, and I wish him the 
best of luck in retirement.

                          ____________________